I Regret (Not Really) To Inform You These 4 Things Are Great.

Sorry, not sorry. Plus the unexpected wardrobe benefit of being in your 40s.

This will sound like a lie, but it’s true: I have very little desire to shop. At my ripe old age, I have a closet that’s truly full of things I love, and frankly many of those key pieces in multiples. There are my YCOHO flat black boots, my always-on oversized investment denim jacket, my casual dresses, the low pointy slingbacks that I wear probably too much, my decades old basic sneakers, the stretchy maxi slip dress that I wore whilst nine months pregnant and also today under one of my favorite t-shirts, the power blazer that still commands, the pants I talked about two weeks ago that are truly flawless, and an army of easy skirts. I like bags—especially this oversized boho Coach style and this little suede Chloe one that’s so baby—but I don’t buy one every season. I have exactly one style of sunglasses I buy over and over again. In other words: I’m set.

Beauty is a bit of a different story. Due to the price point, I am more apt to experiment, but there aren’t that many new products that truly enter the rotation. And often I don’t write about a beauty product unless I’ve already bought a refill; that to me says the most. Do I love something so much I will re-buy it? In the case of Dr. Idriss’s serum, hell yes. Roz hair products? Duh. Tom Ford’s brow pencil? Against my will because it’s pricey, but of course. I don’t polish my nails a ton, but now that I have and love Hermes’s nail polish, and know how great it is and how long it lasts, I’m possibly never buying a new brand again. 

All of this is to say: I regret to inform you that I’ve found three fashion and beauty items (and one book too!) that I’m happy to spend my money on, and I think you might be into them too. 

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Alexa Chung x Madewell Denim Western Shirt ($128)

While I find denim jackets rather easy to find and fall in love with, denim shirts are painful for me. They’re too thick, not the right wash, bizarrely cut…just never really right. And to be honest, I didn’t imagine that the perfect one would come from Brit it-girl Alexa Chung, but here we are!

(One thing to note is that the shirt closes with snaps, not buttons, which I love, but that fact wasn’t in the description and came as a bit of a surprise. A happy surprise, because I have always adored a pearlized snap, but it is specific and should be called out.)

I bought a small and a medium. As of right now, I’m flirting with keeping both sizes, because they work for different reasons (small for tucking into things; medium for a slouchy overshirt vibe), but I realize that’s also insane. 

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Hanni Shave Pillow Moisturizing Body Gel ($24)

I was recently introduced to the brand Hanni, and I can’t stop talking about it. In particular, this phenomenal soft stick that looks like a solid deodorant, but is actually a game-changing product. It’s a shave gel and moisturizer stick in one, and can be used in or out of the shower. 

As someone with annoyingly sensitive skin, I was nervous about using it on dry skin to shave, but it works beautifully and you can just rub in any excess when you’re done! My legs were not irritated in the slightest, I got the smoothest shave, and even my armpits were happy. And they make a mini version, that’s perfect for carry-on travel! 

I’m currently in the process of testing more Hanni products, but I’m so impressed with this one, and I love the fact that the brand is doing interesting new formulas and delivery methods. It really feels revolutionary, especially the in-shower moisturizer, which is new to me, but great and weirdly fun to use. 

Weird picture, but a truly great product. ESPECIALLY if you have sensitive skin that doesn’t love being shaved.

J.Crew Long Barn Jacket ($348) in Mossy Brown

There’s so much conversation around barn jackets and field jackets and chore jackets right now, and honestly I love it. A lightweight layer makes the simplest outfit a hundred times more interesting, plus buying one you really like is actually a smart, long-term investment, as they hit fashion’s radar on a regular cadence. Are there differences between all these styles? Yes, but they’re minor in my humble opinion; the best plan is to buy one you actually love, because it means you will wear it. And don’t stress about it not being perfectly right; anyone who judges you for wearing a lightweight jacket that doesn't have a corduroy collar is a twit and you can tell them I said so. 

There are a zillion options at every price point imaginable. Miu Miu’s runway iteration is oversized and has a leather collar, Toteme makes an A-line style that’s divine, Doen has a boxier version in straw or olive green that will be available later this year, and Mango is making a cool version too. And unsurprisingly, J.Crew has a slew of standout styles, including the Long Barn Jacket, which I adore on stylist Karla Welch in Harrington plaid. J.Crew also made a short version of the barn jacket, including in an excellent, less trad blue hue, and my current go-to, the Denim Barn Jacket (now on sale), which is my new travel jacket.  

karlawelchstylist

A post shared by @karlawelchstylist

Big Fan ($15) by Alexandra Romanoff / 831 Stories 

As I have documented extensively, I am a longtime enthusiast of romantic fiction and adore the dirty, the dramatic, and everything in between. So when I heard that the brilliant Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur—the brains behind the dreamy e-commerce store Of A Kind; surely you remember it—were launching a book-centered entertainment company, 831 Stories, I started freaking out. (Thank you Lauren Sherman!)

To be honest, I loathe self-identifying as a romance reader because the genre is historically so cheesy. I find the covers aesthetically embarrassing, the storytelling often runs very cis-het vanilla, and the genre is rarely chic, innovative, or interesting. That’s been changing slowly—as evidenced by authors such as Casey McQuiston, Ali Hazelwood, and Jasmine Guillory—and it’s about to zoom in the right direction with 831 Stories’s ambitious plans.

The company’s first book—Big Fan, by Alexandra Romanoff—debuts on Tuesday, and is truly a pleasure from cover to finish. (831 is marketing this story as a mashup of The Good Wife meets The Idea of You and truthfully that feels completely correct and impossible to explain better, so I shan’t.) There’s a whole world that goes along with the story, including a QR code at the end of the book that leads you to an epilogue, a song that’s referenced in the book, and merch that ties back into the story’s universe. It’s honestly quite brilliant and so disruptive in all the right ways. 

Honestly, I feel like like 831 Stories was made specifically for me? But also: This book is truly for everyone. Fun, thoughtful, and made for actual adults with taste.

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Okay friends, that’s it for now. If you want to follow me on @hillarykerr, I’d love it. And if you have anything to say or ask (preferably nothing terribly mean), please drop me a note either via DM or in the comments below.

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